Grain cleaner and separator



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. O. BENSON. GRAIN CLEANER AND SEPARATOR.

Patented July 20, 1897.

wi/tmaoao (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2. J. G. BENSON. GRAIN CLEANER ANDSEPAMYIIOR.

No. 586,756. Patented July 20,1897.

mnmmnm llllllllll .Hllllllfll UNTTn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. BENSON, OF ALCONY, OHIO.

GRAIN CLEANER AND SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 586,756, dated July 20,1897.

Application filed February 16, 1897. Serial No. 623,630- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES C. BENSON, residing at Alcony, in the countyof Miami and State of Ohio, have invented a new and In1- proved GrainCleanerand Separator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improved construction of grain cleaner andseparator, the object being to provide an exceedingly cheap and simplemachine which will thoroughly separate all the chaff from the grain andsimultaneously separate the grain itself.

Another object of the invention is to provide an exceedingly simple andcompact arrangement of the hopper and air-chamber, said parts beingpractically constructed as a single part.

Another object is to provide improved means for operating thegrain-separating shoes and simultaneously revolving the rotary fans.

Another object is to provide an improved arrangement for supporting thereciprocating shoes within the main frame.

\Vith these various objects in view my invention consists in thepeculiar construction of the various parts and in their novelcombination or arrangement, all of which will be fully describedhereinafter and pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is aperspective View of my grain cleaner and separator. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation, the opposite side being shown. Fig. 3 is a verticallongitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a transverse section. Fig. 5 is a detailview of elbow-lever and pivot-guide.

In constructing a grain cleaner and separator in accordance with myinvention I employ a main frame consisting of the standards A, the upperside pieces B and lower side pieces B, connecting said standards, andthe cross-pieces G, connecting the opposite standards near their lowerends.

lVithin the main frame thus constructed and near the top thereof isarranged the hopper D, the fanchamber E, and air-chamber F, all of saidparts having common side boards G, which are securely fixed upon theinner sides of the main frame, as most clearly shown.

The hopper D has a V-shaped bottom, one portion D of which is in thenature of an adj ustable gate, which works in slides D in order toregulate the passage of the grain to the cleaning-shoes.

The fan-chamber E is essentially cylindrical in shape and has its sidescovered with sheet metal, as shown at G, said chamber having an openingII at each end for the 111- gress of air, and journaled within saidchamber is the rotary fan I, the shaft K thereof being journaled uponone of the standards A and carries a pinion L upon one end and asprocket-wheel L upon the opposite end.

The metal side of the fan-chamber continues a considerable distance intothe interior of the machine, as shown at G, and in conjunction with theboard G forms a throat for the fan, through which the air emerges,saidthroat having a valve G arranged therein and capable of being adjustedas desired to regulate the passage of air therethrough.

The bottom F of the air-chamber F is in the nature of a fall-board orguide-board and serves to direct the grain passing from the hopper tothe upper end of the grain-shoe M.

As thus far described it will be understood that the grain is placed inthe hopper, the gate D of which has been previously regulated, and asthe grain passes through the opening and falls upon the bottom F it issubject to an air-blast from the fan-chamber E, the fan being revolvedby means of a gear L which meshes with the pinion L and is operatedthrough the medium of a crank L said crank being readily detachable fromthe gear L as most clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The grain-shoe M is constructed in the usual mannerthat is, it hasimperforate sides, carries a screen, and has a guide-board arrangedbeneath the screen nearly to the end thereof. The outer end of the shoeM rests upon the rollers M, journaled upon the interior sides of thestandards A.

Elbow-levers IT are pivotally mounted upon the sides of the side boardsG, said levers having a pivotal opening I through which a pivot-pin Npasses, said pivotpin being carried by a guide-clip N adapted to besecured to the sides of the side boards G, the pivot N passing throughthe pivot-opening N and securely connecting the elbow-levers to the sideboards G.

The upper ends of the levers are slotted, as

shown at N while the lower ends are perforated, as shown at N saidperforated ends engaging pivot-clips N secured to the sides of the shoeM, whereby the elbow-levers are pivotally connected with the said shoe.

An operating-stud 0 projects laterallyfrom the pinion L and the sprocketL and is adapted to pass through the slots N in the upper ends of theelbow-levers N, so that when the fanshaft is revolved the elbow-leverswill be rapidly reciprocated. Inasmuch as the studs 0 are arrangedeccentrically, and as they engage the slots N it is clear that theelbowlevers will be rapidly reciprocated, such action causing the shoe Mto reciprocate rapidly upon the guide'rollers N.

A fan-chamber P is arranged directly beneath the shoe M and has therotary fan P arranged therein, the shaft P projecting through the closedends of the fan-chamber, and at one end carries a sprocket P and at theopposite end a disk P and the said sprocket and disk each carry aneccentric stud P the purpose of which will appear farther on.

The fan-chamber has an inlet-throat P provided with a regulating-door Pand leading from the fan-chamber is an outlet-throat P having astop-board P to prevent the grain which falls through the shoe Mentering the fan-chamber, said grain striking upon the fall-board P anddropping upon the screen R, arranged directly beneath the fan-chamber P.

The screen R is double-that is, it has an upper screen R and a lowerscreen R the lower screen being of course finer than the upperscreen R.The screen-shoeis of course constructed with imperforate sides andbottom, and the shoe at its lower end is supported upon a roller R whileits upper end rests upon a shaft R, which is held in place in a pendenthanger R by means of a leaf-spring R A second set of elbow-levers S arepivoted to the sides of the fan-chamber P, their upper ends beingslotted and adapted to engage the eccentric studs P while their lowerends are connected to the opposite ends of the shaft R and connectingthe sprocket P and the sprocket L with a sprocket-chain S, by means ofwhich the fan P is revolved simultaneously with the fan I, and also bymeans of which the lower elbow-levers S are reciprocated, whichoperation causes the screen-shoe to be rapidly reciprocated.

The space between the fall-board F and the upper shoe is normally closedby means of a hinged door T, which can be held open at any time by meansof a suitable prop T.

A guide-strip V is arranged upon the top of the upper screen R at thelower end in order to direct the grain to one side, and a similar stripV is arranged upon the top of the second screen R in order to direct thegrain in the opposite direction, and in order to direct the grain whichpasses through both the upper and lower screens and falls upon theimperforate bottom I provide a chute V at the end of the imperforatebottom, so that the three varieties of the separated grain will beconducted to their proper places.

It will thus be seen that I provide a grain cleaning and separatingmachine comprising a feed-hopper and primary blower, the reciprocatingcleaning-shoe, the secondary blower, and the final cleaning andseparating screen, all of said parts being exceedingly simple andcompact in construction and efficient in operation.

Now in cleaning grain with my improved device it is of course firstplaced into the hopper and the machine placed in operation by revolvingthe crank which drives the main gear which sets the fan-shaft inoperation.

This of course causes a blast of air to pass upward through thefan-chamber and blows the greater portion of the chaff from the grainout of the end of the fan chamber. The grain falls upon the bottom ofthe air-chamber or fall-board and is conducted to the reciprocating shoeM, which receives its motion from the fan-shaft through the medium ofthe reciprocatin elbow-levers N. Here the grain is again separated fromthe chaff, the grain passing through the screen of the shoe and droppingupon the fall-board P, while the chaff is blown from the machine by thesecondary blower or fan P, and the grain falls upon the first or upperscreen of the cleaning and separating shoe. Bythis time the chaff hasbeen entirely separated and blown from the grain, and the thinnest grainpasses down through both sieves or screens and is conducted from themachine by the chute V The next finer grain passes through the firstscreen or sieve to the second one and is directed from the machine bythe guide-strip V, while the coarsest grain remains upon the top of thescreen and is directed from the machine in the opposite direction of thenext coarsest grain by means of the guide-strip V, so that it will beimpossible for the various grades of grain to become mixed after beingseparated by my machine.

The manner of separating and reciprocating the upper and lower shoes Mand R is exceedingly simple and thoroughly efficient, and by employingthe pendent bracket R and the supporting-spring R a jarring or quiveringmotion is imparted to the lower shoe or screen through itsreciprocation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

In a grain cleaner and separator, the combination with the main frame,of the lever, fan-chamber,and air-chamber all having common side boards,the fan and fan-shaft, said shaft having the pinion at one end and asprocket at the opposite end, a drivegear meshing with the pinion, theeccentric studs carried by the pinion and sprocket, the elbowleverspivoted to the side boards slotted at their upper ends to engage theeccentric studs, the upper reciprocating shoe supported uponguide-rollers of the main frame and pivotaily connected to the lowerends of the elbowlevers, the secondary fan-chamber, the fan andfanshaft, the sprocket arranged upon one end of said shaft, and a diskarranged upon the opposite end, the sprocket-chain connecting the twosprocket-Wheels, the e1- bow-levers pivoted upon the sides of thesecondary fan-chamber and slotted at their-up- 10 per ends, theeccentric studs carried by the sprocket and disk, the lowerreciprocating shoe, the supporting rod or shaft, the pendentguide-hanger and the spring for holding the supporting rod or shaft inthe said hanger all arranged and adapted to operate substan- 15 tiallyas shown and described.

JAMES C. BENSON.

Vitnesses:

EMMET E. BRANNON, W. A. HAINES.

